It IS Easy Being Green in Boston

Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:13PM

Do yourself -- and the planet -- a favor when you visit our fair city: Ditch your car in a parking garage when you arrive, and forget about it until it's time to leave. Boston is recognized as America’s foremost (as well as one of the world's greatest) walking city. And for good reason.
For example, historically rich Beacon Hill and the wonderful restaurants and shops in Chinatown may seem like a world apart, but the actual distance is just a little over a half a mile.

The lovely 15-minute jaunt will take you through either the Boston Common or the Public Garden (your choice).
Or you could take a stroll along the 40-mile Boston Harborwalk. Follow the highly popular brick-lined, 2.5-mile Freedom Trail, and you'll come face to face with seminal moments in US history. The point is, Boston is eminently walking-friendly. And ambling around the city will save you gas money and parking fees, help you burn some calories, reduce your carbon footprint, and, perhaps most significantly, allow you to experience all we have to offer in a more up-close and experiential way.
If your Boston journeys will take you a bit farther afield, consider renting a bicycle from the Hubway system, an innovative bikeshare network that launched in 2011. Or, hop aboard the "T," our subway system.

(Fun Boston fact: The transit line is the nation's oldest, thereby certifying the city as the birthplace of American mass transportation. We were eco-friendly long before it was cool.)
Instead of ditching your car when you arrive, consider leaving it at home altogether. Wherever you live in the Northeast U.S., Boston is a pleasant ride away aboard Amtrak.

Arthur Levine, who has been living in and enjoying the Boston area his whole life, is the HUBa HUBa blogger. He particularly takes pleasure in sharing his adventures and finds with others. He has written about his Boston and Massachusetts journeys for Boston.com, the Boston Herald, the Cape Cod Times, the Providence Journal, and other publications.

Some of Arthur's favorite things to do around the city include checking out a new dining spot during Dine Out Boston, catching upcoming movies at the Boston Film Festival, going to Fenway Park (during the 2013 World Series championship year, he finally got to see the Red Sox win a game there), taking in a summer show at the Bank of America Pavilion or at the Hatch Shell, and listening in as native Bostonians jabber using their unique patois.